4 Disruptive Hacks for Marketing Fantasy Sports
“Unicorns” and “fantasy” aren’t the stuff of fairy tales anymore. They’re changing the face of sports marketing and insights.
Look no further than daily fantasy sports (DFS) sites FanDuel and DraftKings. After raising $275 million and $300 million, respectively, in venture capital this summer, both companies reached “unicorn” status — the term that signifies when a startup’s valuation has exceeded $1 billion.
How’d they get here? Through traditional advertising. These industry giants are in the midst of an all-out promotional arms race.
User acquisition is the top priority of both companies and huge chunks of these latest funding rounds already have been committed to advertising. In July, DraftKings struck an agreement with Fox Sports to spend roughly $250 million on ads with the TV company over the next three years. This came just one month after DraftKings formed a $250 million exclusive ad partnership with ESPN.
This is serious money, folks.
The New York Times went as far as to write, “The business of daily fantasy sports is only a few years old, but it has become a nearly ubiquitous presence. FanDuel and DraftKings have created a new advertising category, spending millions of dollars on TV commercials with no end in sight. Their names and logos are seen in stadiums and arenas thanks to their many sponsorship deals.”
So the big boys with deep pockets have already monopolized most of the mainstream marketing. What can the upstart startups do, then, to get their websites recognized and utilized? Simple, do what the underdogs always do – go for disruptive marketing. Below are some tips on how:
1. Go against the grain
Consumers already have been hammered with the message that playing DFS can lead to champagne bottles and huge cardboard checks. This doesn’t resonate with them anymore. So give them something completely different.
Some players just might not have what it takes to be the best. So maybe sites should give them a chance to excel at being truly awful? A million-dollar “low-ball” tournament where the worst lineup possible wins all would be a creative twist on DFS gameplay. (Think interceptions being positive, while touchdowns score negative points.) The big brands use humor all the time to market their wares – smaller DFS sites can too!
2. Embrace the (friendly) competition
Next month, FX will be launching its seventh season of “The League,” an entire comedy series centered around – you guessed it – friends taking their fantasy leagues way too seriously.
While DFS doesn’t involve leagues, it does still have leaderboards, such as the rankings found on community site RotoGrinders.com. Not only does RotoGrinders recognize the top DFS players, it also employs them as contributors. By regarding DFS contestants as colleagues, rather than competitors, RotoGrinders has carved out a unique space for its members.
3. Stop and smell the sweats
Nothing captures the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat quite like a “sweat” – that is, watching scoreboards as real-world plays change DFS contest standings, oftentimes with tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars changing hands.
The only thing fans love more than sports is watching other fans react to the roller coaster rides matches can take us on. Capturing these emotions both on- and off- the field and sharing them across your platform would keep DFS human and accessible for new gamers.
While DraftKings and FanDuel are marketing themselves through more traditional means, there are still plenty of opportunities for up-and-coming DFS and other fantasy sports companies to disrupt current messaging and shift it away from the status quo. DFS players love sports and money – who doesn’t?! – but that doesn’t mean there’s still not room for smaller sites to think outside the box and make themselves known in such competitive space.
4. Make the most of social media
Sports enthusiasts, especially those in fantasy sports, love to share their experience with others. Two former NFL data analysts who came up with Top Dog Stats, a system that helps fantasy football players the chance to live the real life of an NFL GM, allows it anyone to share their dashboard on social media, making the game even more interactive and fun as friends could easily chime in!
When you hear “fantasy” and “unicorns,” the first images that pop in your head probably are the stuff of fairy tales and bedtime stories But you should be thinking about the next big thing in sports
The non-athlete hears the words “daily fantasy sports”
How’d we get here? Advertising.